DETROIT — Ahead of next Thursday’s holiday, the Detroit Pistons tipped off their annual “Season of Giving” event, presented by Kroger, on Tuesday at their practice facility in Midtown Detroit.

In partnership with Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University, the Pistons provided food packages to 400 preselected families from the Metro Detroit area in a special event closed to the public.

Helping with the food distribution wasn’t just the players — it was an all-hands-on-deck approach from the entire organization.

“For me, the fact that we have the whole organization here. Not even just players, but we got the G League guys, the front office, everybody’s coming together and just giving back, man. I mean, it is beautiful to see, and I’m loving that we doing this,” Pistons center Jalen Duren told MLive. “I think it starts with ownership, with Tom Gores, him being such an investor into the community and bringing back and building new things and just helping the city grow.

“So I feel like it starts from the top and then it pours down, and it is just a testament to the character and the group of guys that we have and the type of organization that we have. We really care about each other and care about the city.”

This year’s event introduced a change in how food distribution was handled. Previously, cars would line up outside the practice facility, stopping at a checkpoint where Pistons personnel would place food packages in their trunks or hatches.

This year, the event was held inside the practice facility on the actual practice court. Families were provided carts to load their items and were assisted to their vehicles.

“I was just saying this year they made it so much easier for us. Everything’s flowing,” Pistons center Isaiah Stewart shared. “I feel (the organization) has done a very great job with this. We enjoy doing this. We appreciate (the fans) because they help us out. They come out for us, and this is us showing up for them and just being there for ‘em.”

While veterans like Duren and Stewart have witnessed the event grow over the years, this year carried unique significance for three of the Pistons’ offseason acquisitions: Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, and Tim Hardaway Jr.

Harris, in his second stint with the Pistons, has a deep connection to Detroit. The city is where he met his wife and formed lasting relationships. Reflecting on the event, Harris emphasized the importance of athletes engaging in community initiatives.

“It’s extremely important. It’s kind of our duty,” Harris said. “I think when you look at the odds of players making it to the NBA and just seeing, it’s a dream for a lot of people in different walks of life. So for me personally, I always look at it as something that being able to give back and show your face, allow people to kind of get to see you, interact with you, it’s just inspiring.”

For Beasley, the event was particularly personal. His mother, Deena, is a proud Detroit native from the Six Mile and Evergreen area, making the opportunity to serve the community feel like a “full circle moment.”

“I’ve always wanted to (contribute) to Detroit,” Beasley said. “I never had a chance to, but now I’m here, and it is good to give back. My family’s in town, (and) it is always good to be around family.”

Hardaway Jr., no stranger to philanthropic efforts in Michigan, has participated in similar events during his time at the University of Michigan under coach John Beilein. Like his teammates, he underscored the value of serving the community, but he also shared a Thanksgiving tradition he’s eager to see fulfilled next Thursday.

“Watch the Detroit Lions get a W,” Hardaway said as he walked off.

Associated Press

Detroit Pistons (7-9, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Charlotte Hornets (5-9, 11th in the Eastern Conference)

Charlotte, North Carolina; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte hosts Detroit looking to continue its three-game home winning streak.

The Hornets are 4-8 against Eastern Conference opponents. Charlotte has a 2-5 record against opponents over .500.

The Pistons have gone 6-8 against Eastern Conference opponents. Detroit is sixth in the Eastern Conference with 16.3 fast break points per game led by Jaden Ivey averaging 3.1.

The Hornets score 109.1 points per game, 1.8 fewer points than the 110.9 the Pistons give up. The Pistons average 12.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.6 fewer makes per game than the Hornets give up.

TOP PERFORMERS: LaMelo Ball is averaging 28.4 points and 6.6 assists for the Hornets.

Cade Cunningham is averaging 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists for the Pistons.

LAST 10 GAMES: Hornets: 3-7, averaging 105.4 points, 45.2 rebounds, 23.6 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 42.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.0 points per game.

Pistons: 6-4, averaging 112.7 points, 49.5 rebounds, 26.8 assists, 6.0 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 46.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.4 points.

INJURIES: Hornets: Nick Richards: out (ribs), Mark Williams: day to day (foot), DaQuan Jeffries: out (hand).

Pistons: Bobi Klintman: out (calf), Ausar Thompson: day to day (illness).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

(CBS DETROIT) – A pair of bills in the Michigan House, introduced by Democrats, aim to make it more difficult to implement book bans in our state. 

The bills would set requirements before books could be removed from shelves at community and district libraries but not school libraries.

“Depending on what they’re banning, I mean, if they’re banning pornography, I’m all for it, but if they’re banning our history, I’m against it,” said Doug Freeman, who was at the East Lansing Public Library on Tuesday with his granddaughter. 

The bills, also called The Freedom to Read Act, would limit who can challenge library materials to community residents, require challenges to certify they have read or watched the material they want removed, require library directors to decide what is on the shelves and only allow libraries to approve removals if the material has been determined to be obscene by the United States or Michigan Constitution. 

“In a way, it’s better to view it as more of a conversation between patron and library because we want to hear their voices, and a lot of times folks are just wanting to be heard and this is sometimes the way they feel most able to be heard,” said Chrissie Evaskis who works as a collection development librarian at the East Lansing Public Library. 

Evaskis-Garrett says that while libraries like hers already use some of the requirements outlined in the bill package, she feels it’s a good idea to make them law. 

“There’s this idea that we’re just willy-nilly out here purchasing whatever books strike our fancy, and we’re really not so kind of having those things codified, I think not necessarily protects us but the freedom of information in general,” said Evaskis-Garrett. 

Freeman doesn’t want to see one person make decisions about which books go on the shelves. He says it’s important to think of his granddaughter. 

“I want her to know the true history of our country,” he said.